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How have you been treated here as a Brit?

How have you been treated here as a Brit?

Old Apr 18th 2014, 6:28 pm
  #31  
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Default Re: How have you been treated here as a Brit?

Originally Posted by brit_usa2014
Living in New England I love the place as it reminds me of back home. The buildings, scenery and just about everything else. Even the people have been so friendly and generally love anything British (considering half of them have European ancestors...).

But I was talking to one American the other day and he asked me from where I was (because according to him my accent wasn't American) and when I said the UK, his comment was "Oh, I wouldn't want to live there! Good choice you made by coming here"! I didn't know what to make of his comment, but put me off slightly.

But like I said, this was just a one off, and most of the people are very friendly and love anything British, which is one of the reasons why I love New England, but I don't know about the rest of the US.

Which brings me back to the question- how have you been treated here as a Brit?
I have found without exception in the last 15 years of visiting the USA and now living in the USA that I've been treated very well - even in NYC where there are apparently there are zillions of Brits. I find the further south you go the more pronounced a reaction you get to the accent. Even in NYC I get comments on the accent with very few people suggesting I am anything other than British. (Blame Downton Abbey) At my local Starbucks on 9th they delight in pronouncing my drink of choice in a British accent. Only once has someone confused my accent with that of an Aussie.

Most Americans I've bumped into assume that if you're British then you're intelligent and I certainly didn't want to dissuade them from that view!
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Old Apr 18th 2014, 6:29 pm
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Default Re: How have you been treated here as a Brit?

Originally Posted by Sally Redux
A nutty neighbour of ours told us to 'get back to Pakistan - because London's the same as Pakistan', threatened to run over us in her car and threw coffee over our porch, however she actually was a nutter I think so I don't take that as representative.
wow. I assume you or your parents are of asian origin?

I think we are good at co habitating with other ethnicities in the UK. They are with MOST ethnicities in the US but they do resort to stereotypes very quickly.

I always imagine the people wearing traditional clothes on flights must have it hard!
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Old Apr 18th 2014, 6:33 pm
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Default Re: How have you been treated here as a Brit?

Originally Posted by delbitter
wow. I assume you or your parents are of asian origin?

I think we are good at co habitating with other ethnicities in the UK. They are with MOST ethnicities in the US but they do resort to stereotypes very quickly.

I always imagine the people wearing traditional clothes on flights must have it hard!
No we're not - that's what made it rather surreal.

I know another woman of the older generation who's rather annoying by describing anyone in the least bit darkish as Muslim - "Look at that Muslim pulling out in front of me!!!" etc. I think that's mainly age though.
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Old Apr 18th 2014, 6:41 pm
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Default Re: How have you been treated here as a Brit?

Originally Posted by Sally Redux
No we're not - that's what made it rather surreal.

I know another woman of the older generation who's rather annoying by describing anyone in the least bit darkish as Muslim - "Look at that Muslim pulling out in front of me!!!" etc. I think that's mainly age though.
That is particularly weird then.

Some yanks do have a very limited view of the world though. Not always in a bad way, I get the australian comments a lot which makes me laugh
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Old Apr 18th 2014, 6:45 pm
  #35  
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Default Re: How have you been treated here as a Brit?

Originally Posted by Sally Redux
A nutty neighbour of ours told us to 'get back to Pakistan - because London's the same as Pakistan', threatened to run over us in her car and threw coffee over our porch.
Nutty neighbors don't exist in UK, except for American ex-pats, but follow these planning guidelines and porch is safe from their coffee toss threats:

http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/per...orch/miniguide - Click on Porches mini-guide, then forward arrow: "Porches"
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Old Apr 18th 2014, 6:50 pm
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Default Re: How have you been treated here as a Brit?

Originally Posted by delbitter
That is particularly weird then.

Some yanks do have a very limited view of the world though. Not always in a bad way, I get the australian comments a lot which makes me laugh
I had never spoken to her before the incident but she obviously knew we were the Brits in the street and was making some point about Britain being full of Pakistanis. I have come across that a few times, presumably it's a 'talk radio' thing.

Many are not sure if I'm Australian, South African or British, which is fair enough, the accents can be a bit similar. I ordered a root beer once and one of the group I was with, who had known me for a while, said, "Oh, I didn't think Australians liked root beer!"
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Old Apr 18th 2014, 8:15 pm
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Default Re: How have you been treated here as a Brit?

On the whole I've been treated very well. I have much better neighbors here than in the UK by a mile.

However much the like the accent and say they would love to visit the UK etc I'm well aware of the fact that when push comes to shove I am in fact a Euroweenie And in an ideal world I wouldn't even be here because there would be no such thing as an H1-B visa.
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Old Apr 18th 2014, 8:53 pm
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Default Re: How have you been treated here as a Brit?

I've yet to have a single reaction to my accent (at least, directly to me) in 6 months of being here. I have to repeat things sometimes, which I suspect is because people aren't tuned into my accent, but that's about it.

Might have something to do with being in LA and working in IT. Plenty of Brits around already - often over hear the accent in my usual haunts of Santa Monica, Westwood, Century City etc. And, my company seems to be consisted by a majority of foreign workers, including half a dozen Brits.
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Old Apr 18th 2014, 9:02 pm
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Default Re: How have you been treated here as a Brit?

Originally Posted by Uncle_Bob
...... I am in fact a Euroweenie ....
So you're not British?
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Old Apr 18th 2014, 9:02 pm
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Default Re: How have you been treated here as a Brit?

I've been here almost 17yrs.

I find over here, people instantly pick up on the accent, and will ask almost immediately where I'm from, and most react very positively to me being English - to the point that sometimes I even think I get preferential treatment.

I struggle to think of an openly negative reaction. I've been quizzed a few times by people who have visited England and ask "why are all the waiters at restaurants so rude?" - but really, nothing much more then that level that I can think of. Part of me wonders if the person you said you were from the UK to heard you right - maybe hear the "K" and imposed an 'Iraq' on there or something. On my experience, that's an unusual reaction (and a rude one also).

I think my Brit accent has helped me in my professional environment - I find people are far more interested in what I have to say, and just the difference in vocabulary often makes people think I'm more intelligent. Just to emphasize that point, I do mean difference in vocabulary, not having a larger vocabulary. I had some initial difficulty being understood, I had a fairly mild Yorkshire accent, and I just don't think people are in tune to hearing different regional UK accents, and some struggle badly with it.

The interesting scenario I have, and have had for at least 10yrs now, is that when I return to the Uk, despite people in the US instantly recognizing me as being either British, or at worse 'foreign', when in the UK I'm often mistaken for a yank! People who don't know me assume I'm a yank, and people who do know me will repeat a line I just said in their own horrendous version of an American accent, and laugh.

I remember running into 2 English lads in a Papa John's pizza place here in LA. I asked them where they were from and if they were here on holiday etc. - when I told them I was from Yorkshire they looked like I'd told them I was from Mars. One of them immediately followed up with "but you're not English though.." - YES I BLOODY AM!

I suppose it's like a great many things - people's natural focus seems to be the parts about someone that seem different.

-Matt

Last edited by mmhendrie; Apr 18th 2014 at 9:09 pm.
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Old Apr 18th 2014, 9:29 pm
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Default Re: How have you been treated here as a Brit?

I'm trying to remember if I said, "You're American!" or similar when I met Americans in the past back in England.
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Old Apr 18th 2014, 9:34 pm
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Default Re: How have you been treated here as a Brit?

Originally Posted by mmhendrie
.... I find over here, people instantly pick up on the accent, and will ask almost immediately where I'm from, and most react very positively to me being English - to the point that sometimes I even think I get preferential treatment.

I struggle to think of an openly negative reaction. I've been quizzed a few times on people who have visited England and ask "why are all the waiters at restaurants so rude?"

I think it's also helped me in my professional environment also - I find people are far more interested in what I have to say, and just the difference in vocabulary often makes people think I'm more intelligent. Just to emphasize that point, I do mean difference in vocabulary, not having a larger vocabulary. ....
All of the above

.... The interesting scenario I have, and have had for at least 10yrs now, is that when I return to the Uk, despite people in the US instantly recognizing me as being either British, or at worse 'foreign', when in the UK I'm often mistaken for a yank! People who don't know me assume I'm a yank, and people who do know me will repeat a line I just said in their own horrendous version of an American accent, and laugh.
I've not been back in seven years, but I'll find out later this year when I go back. All the non-Americans I speak to, including colleagues in the UK know immediately I am British, not American, and I don't believe my accent has changed much at all.
..... I told them I was from Yorkshire .....
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Old Apr 18th 2014, 9:58 pm
  #43  
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Default Re: How have you been treated here as a Brit?

I've been treated pretty well too, most people are very complimentary on my accent (home counties) and tbh I do think it helps professionally, doesn't that sound snotty?

Once in a while in rural parts of Maine, when I start talking people will look at me like I'm from Mars, its quite funny. Waitstaff still never understand my requests for 'water'.
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Old Apr 18th 2014, 10:24 pm
  #44  
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Default Re: How have you been treated here as a Brit?

Originally Posted by Montfan72
Waitstaff still never understand my requests for 'water'.
Yep, I refuse to say wadda.

Try 'diet coke'. How can that be said in a mild English accent and be mis-understood?
At a restaurant and waiter reads drinks list: " Wadda, coke, diet coke...." I reply "Diet coke", my American OH had to repeat it to him.

It seems we don't have to change accents, my mate called me today from Aus where he's been for 3 years. He still sounds the same as he did in Bracknell.
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Old Apr 19th 2014, 12:39 am
  #45  
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Default Re: How have you been treated here as a Brit?

Originally Posted by Jonion
Yep, I refuse to say wadda.

Try 'diet coke'. How can that be said in a mild English accent and be mis-understood?
At a restaurant and waiter reads drinks list: " Wadda, coke, diet coke...." I reply "Diet coke", my American OH had to repeat it to him.

It seems we don't have to change accents, my mate called me today from Aus where he's been for 3 years. He still sounds the same as he did in Bracknell.
Why do you want to change your perfectly good English Accent? I wouldn't want to give up my accent for an American one! We sound much better.. but then again I am obviously biased..
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